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Cons of Building or Buying a New Green Home

Jennifer — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:35:02 +0000

This month we’ve been sorting out which is better: remodeling green or buying or building a new green home. So far we’ve looked at…

Today the last part of our series – the cons of building or buying new. However, stay tuned because soon I’ll post some resources that will help you out, no matter your final decision.

CONS OF BUILDING OR BUYING A NEW GREEN HOME:

The obvious first con of going with a new green home is cost. Green homes can cost more at the start than conventional. In the long run a green home will save you money, but start-up costs can stop some people cold. According to CNN Money, if you went as green as possible, a green home might cost you 20-30% more than a traditional home, but don’t forget there are shades of green in-between as well. You’ll also get tax credits. Green Prefab can also be an affordable way to build or buy green.

Side note: I built a green home and the costs were not more than a traditional home – but keep in mind that we built small as well (also a green feature). Additionally a piece at Ecomii notes that green costing more is a myth. According to this piece; “The chief complaint most people have with green building is cost… This is not true — but it’s a common misconception promoted by ignorant architects and contractors who are afraid of building in a different way. Good architects and contractors know how to save their clients money. The client sets the budget, and a project should come in at or below that budget. With a clear direction of budget, there is no reason you can’t build a green building for the same price as, or less than, a traditional building.” Read more.

OTHER CONS:

There’s a learning curve and green building mistakes can happen. Research is key to avoiding this con. Not all green building aspects and techniques will work for all sites and locations. Making a mistake because you ignored the research end can be costly both in time and money.
It can be harder to find a new green home to buy in an area you like because green simply isn’t as prevalent yet. Same goes for finding a green designer or architect and construction company. However, this is quickly becoming less of a con as more home builders jump into green methods.
Green homes may have some features that make resale harder. When we built our real estate agent warned against composting toilets, saying no one would be on board buying a house with one. I’m not so sure that’s true, but it’s smart to investigate what sells and doesn’t in your area.
You may find it’s harder to get the perfect green home insurance.
Green homes sometimes require more daily consideration. For example, a dual flush toilet means everyone (guests too) need to know how to use it. Solar panels and other alternative energy options can require maintenance by the home owner.
Sometimes the people in your neighborhood will complain. I’ve heard the most complaints about green prefabs moving into more traditional neighborhoods.
It can take longer to choose and plan the perfect green home site.

Overall though, I still think most of the cons of green building can be avoided with careful planning and that in the long run green is far better for your health, the planet’s health, and your wallet. Coming up resources for remodeling green, building green, or buying a new green home.

Is There an Ideal Sustainable Home?

Jennifer — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:19:43 +0000

Sustainable housing is not a new idea, but there are many different ideas surrounding the term sustainable building, some of them always changing (think LEED). People have varied sustainable plans when designing a house, but in reality you can narrow sustainability down to some basic ideas.

The best sustainable housing is…

Sustainable at each level. From choosing a site and clearing the land. Your choice of materials and your building ethics (i.e. recycling waste). Your energy system and landscaping. At each level of the planning and building process there are sustainable aspects you can consider.

A sustainable home has a light footprint and takes up less space. You can sort of build a green McMansion but that majorly defeats the true purpose of sustainable design.

The best sustainable materials are locally acquired, efficient, and recyclable. You can go further by choosing materials that have been reclaimed and by using only what you need. For example, two sinks in the bath, may be overkill.

Sustainable housing requires less fuel to heat or cool and maximizes natural vs. non-renewable resources for energy. Wind, solar, proper landscaping, window quality, and more are all ideas surrounding sustainable energy for housing.

Sustainable housing makes the most of water use with things like water efficient appliances, rainwater systems, and low-water landscaping.

Interior design is also a consideration. Non-toxic paints, clean air techniques, reclaimed floors, sustainable furniture, and more all contribute to overall sustainable design.

In my opinion, sustainable design also adds to the land integrity instead of claiming aesthetics from said land. This is not an across the board idea, but it makes little sense to overtake nature with design.

To learn more about sustainable design read:

Green Home Book of the Week: Off the Grid

Jennifer — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:11:02 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I posted a review of Off the Grid Homes. I recently received a copy of another book by Lori Ryker, Off The Grid Modern Homes + Alternative Energy, and it’s just as good, but in a different way.

Off the Grid Homes was like delicious but useful eye candy for green home lovers. This second book, Off the Grid offers a more in-depth look at home case studies. Don’t think you won’t see yummy homes in this one though; there are plenty of beautiful images to delight your eyes.

Pros:

The thing I liked best about Off the Grid was the surprising variety of projects Ryker looks at, such as a bungalow remodel, rural house on a pond, a lovely grassland homestead, and more. 10 projects in all, and each stunningly unique with the off grid component in place. No matter what your idea of off grid living is, this book will allow you to consider different possibilities.
There’s a great projects at a glance section at the end of the book. Something I think too many green home books lack. Lately, I’ve been seeing this trait enacted more and more (thankfully) because when you do have an idea in your head, such as I’d like to see how a home that uses solar, wind, and gray water might work out, you can find it quickly with a project glance page.
Each off grid project chapter also has a quick guide at the start. For example, home size, energy use, and materials, among other things is covered.
The images – beautiful! There’s a nice combo of photography and diagrams. While I’m a sucker for house images; diagrams serve a way useful position, in that they allow you a look at the inner workings of say, a home ventilation system or how a geothermal cooling and heating system works.

Cons:

As with Off the Grid Homes, I honestly could not find any cons. If you’re interested in off grid living, green homes, or simply beautiful architecture, both books belong in your collection. Check Off the Grid out at your library first if you like, but I’m betting that you’ll want to own this one.

Buying Green Power

Jennifer — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:00:17 +0000

Did you know that you can actually purchase green power? Many states offer an option to buy renewable energy (in various forms) from your local power company. This service can cost a few dollars more a month, but in the long run, you’ll be saving resources and doing something great for the planet.

To find out if you can buy renewable power visit the “Can I Buy Green Power in My State? map” at the U.S. Department of Energy.

After clicking on a state, let’s use Oregon as an example, you’ll be shown all the areas that offer renewable power, and can learn more about each option. For example, after clicking on Oregon, you’ll see that wind power and biomass power is offered in many areas, and prices are listed as well.

This is one simple way to go a little greener, without having to complete remolding tasks at your home, because the green power is offered through local energy companies. To learn more take a look at the Overview of Green Power Markets. This link explains all the basics and benefits of this green power purchasing program.

Green Building Resources & Green Living Tips

Jennifer — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:09:31 +0000

I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Best Green Home Tips used to be located in a different spot, at the RiverWired network. Over there, we looked at many a green building and remodeling tip. I thought that if you missed these posts, it would be cool to catch you up to speed.

Following are some of the best posts that you may have missed the first time around…

Green building:

Green home interior:

Alternative energy & energy saving:

This catches you up on about half of the green building blog. Later this week, I’ll post a second batch of great links that can help you to build and live green.